I promise
by MarvellouslyWondrous
Summary: sometimes we all need to know the ones we love are safe, sometimes we need a promise from that person that they will be, this is one of those times.


Authors note:

Hey, well my first fanfic I hope you lot like it. Sorry but I'm a sucker for the whole brotherly love thing but I do NOT do anything that is guyxguy or incest or anything like that. The very idea sickens me I'm afraid. This is a cute lil fic all full of aww's and stuff. It's not sad or anything it's just an idea I had one day during math and I thought why not write it. And here I am on your screens now jabbering on.

This may mention things from the movie or the t.v. show but it doesn't really matter. And if you're interested the ages for the boys are Scott-24 John-22 Virgil-20 Gordon-19 Alan-14, though it honestly doesn't really matter. Its mostly about the bond between my two favourite brothers Gordon and Alan.

Disclaimer: okay I don't own any of the characters that may appear in this, nor do I own the thunderbirds and I don't get money from this or anything so…. Yea about the only thing I do own is the story idea really.

Summary: sometimes we all need to know the ones we love are safe, sometimes we need a promise from that person that they will be, this is one of those times.

Well have a read and tell me what you think ….

I promise

He walked through the trees hoping to catch a glimpse of his brother; to say he was worried would definitely be an understatement. _Why can't he just stay still for once, just once? He falls into freezing water, bangs his head, nearly drowned and STILL managed to help those people yet here I am five days later looking for him because he thought it would be funny to go AWOL. When I see him he's gonna wish he had stayed in that hole._

Gordon carried on stomping through the trees and mud, he was supposed to be in the infirmary right this minute taking care of his brother but no said brother had to go disappear whilst giving Gordon a heart attack when he saw the empty bed. At this moment he didn't care if he was being irrational Alan had no right to make him worry like this, it was rare to get the usually easy going Gordon angry but when he was he was a force to be reckoned with. He stopped mid step,

_Angry? Am I angry? _He sighed thinking, no he wasn't angry, not at Alan anyway.

_But I'm bloody annoyed, just once, why couldn't he stay still. I know he hates it but still…after what happened. _He closed his eyes tightly, he could still see it very clearly, his chest constricted,

They had nearly lost him.

_Flashback_

_The water was up to his shoulders now and Gordon could hear his brothers strained breathing through the com-link. Another man was lifted from the cave wearing a harness, Scott helped him up but Gordon wasn't paying attention, he was to busy looking down into the darkness hoping to catch a glimpse of his baby brother._

"_Al, is that the last one?" Scott called down into the hole shakily, just hoping to get a reply, they'd been talking to Alan for half an hour while he was stuck in the freezing water just to keep him conscious, he had a head injury. A faint and very weak voice answered back to their relief._

"_Y…yeah that's…that's the last o…one." He was shaking, Alan Tracy wasn't usually one to admit to being afraid but right now he was terrified, he wrapped his arms around himself biting his lower lip, **god it hurt**. Trapped in a pitch black cave, up to his shoulders in freezing water, a banged head and no link to the world aside from his brother's voices. He clung to them like lifelines; he knew they were the only things keeping him awake, even alive it felt. _

"_Okay sprout we're going to lower the harness, do you think you can get it on?" Scott was trying to keep his voice steady and calm hoping to reassure Alan he was going to be okay. Inside he was panicking; Alan had been in the water for over half an hour and had been unconscious for 10 minutes._

_Scott wondered, how on earth a 14 year old had come to be in this situation, Alan was only here because it was a minor rescue. It was the summer holidays at the moment and Jeff had allowed Alan to come on the more easier rescues to help, Scott had to admit he HAD helped, but this was no 'easy' rescue, and now because of someone's misjudgement his baby brother was stuck in a hole of freezing water just trying to stay awake. _

"_Yeah j…just hurry I can't…I can't stay awake much longer" there was an urgency in his voice that Gordon picked up on and without hesitation he grabbed the harness from Scott and strapped it onto himself abseiling down the side of the cave wall._

_The 24 year old sat open mouthed before finally looking over to where his second youngest brother had disappeared, trying to tell him to stop and come back up would be futile he knew so he just sat there, **completely useless** Scott thought miserably._

_Gordon finally felt his feet touch the water and flipping his helmet light on he looked around the hole, his gaze fell on his brother. Alan was looking at him smiling weakly, but the pure terror in his large blue eyes belied the lightness of the words he was about to say, _

"_H…hey bro, good to see ya." Gordon didn't answer, walking closer to Alan he wordlessly pulled his baby brother into his arms and held him there tightly, being 19 Gordon was a whole head taller than Alan so the water only reached to just above his elbows. He could feel Alan's shaking body against his own and the coldness of his skin under the uniform, he pressed his cheek to his brothers blond curls reassuring himself that the young teenager was okay. He scoffed mentally, _

_**Okay? The kids far from okay**. Pulling back Gordon quickly scanned his brother, a minor head injury, blue tinted cheeks, freezing skin, shaking, dull blue eyes and the fact that he seemed to be struggling to stay awake._

_Holding his brothers shoulders he strapped them both to the harness._

"_Pull us up Virg we're strapped in and ready to get the hell outa here."_

_There was a collective sigh of relief on the other ends of the com-link from both Virgil, Scott and John. _

"_F.A.B Gordo, I'll be standing by." Was Scott's obviously relieved reply. Still holding on tightly to Alan Gordon felt him and his brother be lifted from the cave and into the open. Almost as soon as his feet touched the solid ground Alan went limp in his arms, loosing all strength. Scott was at their side instantly pulling the unconscious blond away from Gordon and gently laying him down on the ground checking his pulse and breathing. Gordon knelt beside him rubbing his brothers arm protectively while staring at Scott for an all clear, panic was written clearly on the red heads face, **god please let him be okay, he's my best friend**. Scott sat back on his heels smiling slightly, he looked at Gordon and nodded who in turn let out a sigh of relief._

"_WELL, is he okay?" _

"_Come on guys spit it out, how's Alan?"_

_They were the simultaneous demands of both John and Virgil, John being on TB5 and Virgil in TB2 meant they couldn't see for themselves if their baby brother was okay. Scott frowned and answered. _

"_Well guys his vitals are okay but he's not out of the woods yet, he's got a minor head injury, he's freezing, he's unconscious and…" he paused and reached out to put the back of his hand on Alan's cheek and forehead, he nodded to no one in particular and turned back to the communicator,_

"_and he's starting to get a fever, Virgil start up TB2 get going, I'm taking him in thunderbird one, I want him home now." Virgil gulped from inside TB2, there was no arguing with Scott when one of his little brother's were concerned, especially in a situation like this. _

"_F.A.B Scott, but don't you want Alan in the sick bay here?" Virgil slammed his hand onto his mouth, so much for not questioning the be all end all that was Scott Tracy. Scott let out a dramatic sigh over the com-link and Virgil knew he was probably counting to ten. _

"_No Virgil there's no time for you to land and us to get him on board, it'll take us half an hour to get home, if that, and I want to stop this fever before it gets worse okay, he should be fine in TB1 until we get home" _

_Virgil agreed knowing better than to raise issues twice, once was bad enough, and his brothers logic was true._

"_F.A.B I'm heading home now, I'll alert Brains as soon as I get there and we'll be waiting in the silo." No sooner had he said that did Virgil start TB2 and start flying towards the island. _

_Turing his attention back to his youngest brother, Scott made a quick decision._

"_Gordo you go ahead to TB1 and I'll follow with Alan okay, start her up while you're there okay?" Gordon bit his lip and looked to Alan's shaking unconscious form obviously hesitant to leave his side, but Scott was right, they needed to get Alan out of here as soon as possible._

"_F.A.B" was all he said as he sped off to TB1. Scott watched his brothers retreating form and sighed, sliding his arms under Alan's knees and back he gently lifted his baby brother with ease. He could feel Alan's body trembling against his chest and held on tighter, shifting him slightly to get a firmer grip. Once he was sure the small blond was safe in his arms he started walking towards TB1._

_End flashback _

When they got back it seemed like the entire island was in an uproar, everyone was pacing, panicking, cleaning, or demanding him and his brothers for a complete play by play of what happened. They told them, the reactions were not very pretty but their main concern was Alan. Turns out he had a mild concussion, exhaustion and mild hypothermia, all in all serious but not so serious Alan wouldn't recover within a week or two.

Gordon sighed for what felt like the thousandth time that morning as he continued through the trees still no sign of the young blond. It wasn't Alan's fault, and if he was completely honest with himself he didn't blame Alan for wanting out of that damn infirmary. Gordon knew of the nightmares Alan had been suffering with and being stuck in one dim lit room after being trapped in a pitch black cave didn't help with the recovery process mentally.

Gordon had stayed with him the entire time only leaving to eat, sleep or go on a rescue; he knew Alan would have done the same for him. Hell he did do the same for him, after the hydrofoil accident Alan had been his rock, he knew he couldn't have gotten through that without the small 12 years olds unwavering support.

_12? Was that right? Well I was 17 just turned 18 when it happened so yeah he was 12. Man I would not have been able to do that so young._

It was true, Gordon had seen a whole other side to his partner in pranks during that time, it was interesting to watch yet he clung to it… that new side of his baby brother when he was recovering, it stopped him from going completely crazy. Everyone around him was all '_are you okay, Do you need something, does your back hurt, _it drove him crazy, all those people treating him differently, like he'd break.

But not Alan, Alan understood, when it came to Gordon Alan always understood just as Gordon always understood when it came to Alan. He had always been very tactful to make sure his brother was okay, oh Gordon knew he was worried scared even, but he never really let on, he always helped him sure, but made him feel like he was the same person at the same time. Alan didn't treat him like he was a broken doll, he made sure Gordon was alright but wasn't cautious like the rest of the island's occupants, he still treated him like his brother. And for that Gordon would be forever grateful.

_But none of that will stop me doing a Scott on him when I find him._

No sooner had he thought that he called back his words. Gordon came to the only tree clear hill on Tracy Island and on it he was surprised to see none other than the little brother he was out searching for. Alan was lying down and upon walking closer Gordon could see his baby brother was asleep. Lying on his side he had his knees drawn up slightly with one arm pillowing his blond head and the other curled tightly to his chest. His face was calm and his breathing was steady, Gordon smiled, it had been days since Alan's face had been relaxed in sleep and it seemed for the first time in a while he was sleeping without being plagued by nightmares. He deserved it after what had happened to him.

He walked closer to the young teen and sat on the grass beside him, leaning back on the palms of his hands and looking down at the sleeping 14 year olds face, he didn't have the heart to wake him. Despite the 5 year age gap they had always been close, closer than best friends and sometimes closer than brothers it seemed. Each always had a sort of sixth sense to what the other was feeling or thinking and with him watching the young blonds back and Alan watching his neither one of them knew of a deeper sense of security and safety, not even with their elder brothers.

_Ah, some things never change. _He thought fondly, oh their childhood had been great despite what happened to their mother. He smiled, _Me and Alan getting constantly chased and tied up after yet another ingenious prank, sneaking cookies from Grandma's baking tray, heh, helping Alan with his first girlfriend, now that was interesting…. _

_Yet, _he frowned, it always seemed when he was just in his baby brothers presence the good times outweighed the bad, he reasoned with himself letting a small sigh escape his lips.

_they didn't. The bad definitely outweighed the good. Me leaving Alan alone at school, the hydrofoil accident, Alan's brush with meningitis, messed up rescues, the Hood and… Mom. _

When they had been growing up Gordon and Alan always went to each other, more so than their elder brothers. It didn't matter about the age difference, it never had, not when they were kids and certainly not now, yet in all fairness Alan WAS still a kid and he did act pretty childish himself.

Still looking down at his baby brother, he smiled. When Alan had turned 3 it had been nearly impossible to separate the two or for the first year rather it had been impossible to tear Gordon away from the toddler. He had refused to leave his only baby brothers side and swore he'd dive off a bridge into a lake of crocodiles before he let any harm come to the baby. 'He was the big brother now and Allie was his concern from now on'. Gordon grinned _big words for an 8 year old huh._

_But he's not a baby anymore, I can't protect him all the time like I used to, with him at school and me on the island the only way we can even communicate is through video-phone. Alan is my responsibility, I know no one else thinks that but he is, he's done so damn much for me…_

His train of thought was interrupted as the small blond shifted beside him, moaning softly and pressing his hand harder on his chest. _Another nightmare _he thought sadly, Alan didn't deserve this, not at all. He could have lost him that day. Easily. He felt like he'd been given another chance in a way, then again he couldn't always protect Alan. Alan was strong willed and anyone who stood in the terrors way was likely to regret it, hell Alan was the king for making rash decisions and somewhat daredevil like actions but still…. He sighed deeply and looked to his brothers face, _yeah an adrenalin junkie through and through huh bro? _he thought bitterly.

He needed to do something, not something to drastic just… just something to make sure Alan was okay without him having to constantly worry. He ran a hand through his hair desperately, what could he do?

He remembered a time like this years ago when he needed Alan to do something, he couldn't remember what but it had seemed serious at the time, well as serious as a problem could be at 11. Gordon narrowed his eyes in thought. School. It had been about school, they had just moved to the island and Gordon needed to go to boarding school with his big brothers… and he was leaving his baby brother behind. His head snapped up, he remembered.

_Flashback_

_11 year old Gordon sat in his bed, tousle haired wearing an aggravated frown, it was the middle of the night and something was plaguing the young red-head's mind. How could he make sure Alan would be okay? He was going off to big kids school tomorrow with his brothers and he needed someway to make sure the little blond would be okay without him. But how?_

_He sighed, at a loss for what to do he stood from his bed and went to the room next to his. Pushing the door open slowly he peeked his head inside the moonlit room until he spotted a bed in the middle of the back wall and a small figure lying on it. Walking closer to the 6 year olds bed he looked at his little brother, Alan was curled on his side with one arm under the pillow and the other pressed tightly to his chest, his face was relaxed and clear. Gordon was glad him leaving was not affecting the little boy during his sleep._

_But what could he do? He really didn't know, so he did what ever either of them did if they ever needed comfort, he climbed into the bed next to Alan and tugged the blanket up over them. Feeling the new weight on the mattress large blue eyes opened to a degree and fixed tiredly on his red-headed brothers face. He knew what Gordon being here meant,_

"_Gordy, what's wrong?" Even though sleep lined his soft words Gordon didn't fail to notice the concern in Alan's eyes. _

"_Allie I want you to promise me something okay?" He whispered in his big brother voice. Though still tired Alan nodded._

"_Promise me you'll be okay when I go to school, and make sure you look after everyone. Promise you won't get into trouble or get hurt or…or sick or anything okay?" His voice was breaking and his hazel eyes filled with tears. _

_Alan smiled and a wisdom that spoke of years beyond his age shone from his exhausted blue gems. He slowly reached out his hand from his chest and took Gordon's giving it a reassuring squeeze. Gordon looked up into his baby brothers eyes and held tightly onto the smaller hand like a lifeline, he smiled mentally, he knew Alan was tired yet he still looked out for him, just as Gordon did for him. They were two of a kind. _

"_I promise." Was the soft spoken reply, and Alan had no intention of letting him down. Gordon smiled, all traces of tears gone from his eyes and shifted closer to his baby brother. Alan's eyes were dropping, he was trying to fight it but Gordon reached out his other hand and gently ran it through his soft curls. His brother's tender touch and the tight grip on his hand helped lull him back to sleep and before long his blue eyes closed and his breathing was steady and calm again. _

_Still running his hand through Alan's hair Gordon smiled happily _Problem solved_. He was about to return to his own room but thought better of it, he was tired from all the thinking he'd done and getting to his room seemed like such an effort now. He closed his eyes as a warm safety surrounded him, the safety he always felt when he was with his little brother. A safety he wouldn't feel for a while when he was gone._

_End flashback _

He sighed. A promise made between the two of them was for life. No going back, you stuck to it no matter what because you knew the bond between them was at risk if it wasn't kept. Neither of them were willing to compromise that bond.

And true to his word when Gordon had returned home Alan was better than ever, he'd gained a new confidence whilst being alone on the island without them. Well not so alone since both Tin-Tin and Fermat had joined the Island while they were away, at first he'd been jealous that his brother had found new friends without him. But he reasoned with himself and realised Alan had needed the two when he was away and sooner than he'd expected he warmed up to them both. But their bond was still there, it hadn't wavered in their time apart, on the contrary, it had grown stronger.

_A promise, that's it. _Like all those years ago Gordon looked down at his brother and sighed. Shifting his weight he lay down facing his brother mimicking his position and he carefully reached out his hand and gently shook his brother's shoulder. He didn't want to wake him up but he needed to know now that Alan would be okay.

"Al, come on sprout wake up for me." Finally blue eyes opened warily and a confused expression fixed onto his tired features. Alan yawned and looked at his brother until his vision cleared.

"Gordy? What's up?" Even though exhaustion could be heard through his soft words Gordon could see the concern in his eyes.

Looking at his big brother's unusually serious expression Alan could tell something was up, he could feel it. Gordon stared into his brother's eyes seriously as he tried to figure out what to say, he could almost see the wheels turning in Alan's mind.

What could he say.

"Al I…I need you to promise me something okay." Gordon whispered, seeing how tired his baby brother looked, habitually using his big brother voice. Alan nodded tiredly trying to stay awake.

"I… I want you to promise me you'll be careful when we go on rescues okay? No heroics or doing without the thinking. Promise you'll listen to what we say. Okay, y…you can't do what you did that day, we… I can't go through that again. So promise you'll be careful forever and… and you won't nearly die on us again." He knew what he was asking was beyond Alan's control, well most of it anyway. Gordon knew he could easily be hurt even doing the right thing but there was no reason why he couldn't be careful on rescues. He refused to cry, he wouldn't let his voice break but then… he didn't need to cry for his brother to understand. Alan always understood.

And sure enough the blond 14 year old smiled slightly as understanding reached his exhausted blue gems, and like so many times before Alan reached out his hand and held his big brother's. Gordon looked up into the eyes of his best friend and held onto the smaller hand tightly.He smiled, he knew Alan was tired, hurt, exhausted and yet he still looked out for him, just as he did for Alan. They were still two of a kind.

"I promise." Was the soft reply and Alan had no intention of breaking it. Gordon's smile widened as he shifted closer to the blond, he could see Alan fighting against sleep as the teens eyes kept dropping. He brother deserved to rest after what had happened to him, so like he did as a child Gordon ran his free hand through Alan's golden curls, still keeping his other clasped tightly with his brother's having no intention of lessening the grip.

With his brother's tender touch and the tight grip on his hand Alan Tracy's blue eyes closed and his breathing became steady and calm again.

Gordon sighed in relief and grinned _problem solved_ He knew Alan wouldn't break it, just as he would never break a promise to Alan. Even with the reassurance that Alan would be careful from now on Gordon didn't leave, still running his hand through his baby brother blond curls he studied Alan's face. There was a bandage wrapped around his forehead and there were dark circles under the teen's eyes _probably from the nightmares, _he reasoned. Looking closer still Gordon could see Alan's cheeks were slightly pink from the now fading fever he'd come down with, just pink enough to neatly cover the light freckles that dotted Alan's nose and cheekbones.

He smiled as his own eyes began to grow heavy, he retracted his hand from Alan's hair but the grip on his brother's hand didn't lessen, and as he gave it one last squeeze he was rewarded by a gentle increase of grip back and a small yawn emitting from the teen. Gordon's eyes finally closed as he succumbed to sleep but a small almost invisible smile still remained on his face as one last thought ran through the red-head's tiring mind.

_I'll do a Scott on him when I wake up…_


End file.
